Paraplegic Loses Lawsuit Blaming Police for Burns

Municipal Court jurors Friday rejected allegations by a paraplegic who claimed he suffered third-degree burns on his buttocks because Burbank police made him sit on the hot hood of their patrol car after a routine traffic stop.

Anthony Martin, 28, a self-professed former gang member, contended that while police searched his vehicle, they made him sit for about 30 minutes on the car hood, which was warmed by both the summer sun and the running engine, causing skin to peel off his buttocks.

Martin had sought reimbursement of some $70,000 in medical expenses and an undisclosed amount in punitive damages for the June 22, 1994, incident.

“This reaffirms what we’ve said all along, that we have excellent police officers,” said Juli Scott, chief assistant city attorney, after the two-week trial. “Anthony Martin obviously hurt himself somehow and he wanted to blame someone else for it.”

Martin’s attorneys could not be reached for comment. Earlier, they had unsuccessfully sought to have the name of their firm kept from the jury because they work for Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.

Citing a possible backlash from Cochran’s controversial defense of O.J. Simpson, Martin’s attorneys warned in their motion filed in January that any kind of Cochran reference “is likely to create a substantial danger of undue prejudice, and confusion of issues” for the 12 racially mixed jurors deciding the Burbank case.

Los Angeles County Municipal Judge Charles Stoll denied the request.

Whether the Cochran name affected the jurors was not revealed; they left the courthouse without comment.